Aljamain Sterling hits out at fan after being accused of not 'caring' about Merab Dvalishvili during his time as the champ
Aljamain Sterling clapped back at a fan who accused him of not caring about his teammate, reigning UFC bantamweight champion Merab Dvalishvili.
The user claimed if Sterling did really care, he would have vacated the belt for him when he was the 135-pound champion. Sterling noticed the tweet and responded by asserting that he had encouraged ‘The Machine’ to pursue a title shot after defeating Petr Yan. Sterling wrote:
“I told him to ask for the title shot, while in the cage after he beat [Petr] Yan…. Yall swear yall know more than us. S*it is goofy. But go head and double and triple down. I have sensible rebuttals for all the dumb stuff I hear you casuals regurgitate lol.”
Check out Aljamain Sterling’s X post below:
Sterling lost the bantamweight belt to Sean O’Malley at UFC 292. Subsequently, O’Malley was dethroned by Dvalishvili at UFC 306 via unanimous decision. Now, Dvalishvili is set to defend his title for the first time against Dagestani fighter Umar Nurmagomedov.
Meanwhile, Sterling moved up to the featherweight division, where he secured a victory against Calvin Kattar in his debut fight. However, in his second fight at 145 pounds, Movsar Evloev handed Sterling his first defeat in the division via unanimous decision at UFC 310.
Aljamain Sterling expresses disappointment with timing of Merab Dvalishvili vs. Umar Nurmagomedov bout
Merab Dvalishvili is set to defend his bantamweight title in the co-main event of UFC 311 against Umar Nurmagomedov on Jan.18, 2025. Before the announcement, Dvalishvili had dismissed Nurmagomedov as a potential title challenger, leading the ‘Young Eagle’ to accuse him of ducking the fight. Finally, ‘The Machine’ granted Nurmagomedov a title shot after growing frustrated with the accusations.
In a recent appearance on The Ariel Helwani Show, Aljamain Sterling stated that Dvalishvili should have been given more time as champion to prepare and defend his title.
"[Dvalishvili vs. Nurmagomedov] is being made on six weeks notice. Maybe six-and-a-half. For a title fight? I understand having to do that if you're a challenger, but as the champion, you shouldn't be relegated to those type of stipulations. It's just not right. Then it leaves a bad taste in your mouth as in, 'Why did I work so hard to get this position to call the shots or some of the shots'? And you're not even getting a fair shake in it."
Check out Aljamain Sterling's comments below: